Guy (Guido) Fawkes The Gunpowder Treason And Plot Of 1605 Is Not Just A Rhyme! Or A Mask?

Every 5^th November in the UK and in many other countries around the world we celebrate Guy Fawkes Night or as it is more generally known.Bonfire Night.

Some people even celebrate the whole day. Guy Fawkes day!

Every year on this day, we collectively spend more money on fireworks, than 3rd world nations spend on their total finance!

In some cases we 'are' financing 3rd world nations, as this is where most fireworks are now made?

Health and safety laws in developed countries, being what they are!

We enjoy freezing ourselves to death, in the cold and usually wet November weather.

Waiting to see if Uncle Jimmy is going to blow himself to kingdom come and burning Guy Fawkes.(1570 – 1606) in effigy.

Origins

Many children in the UK and around the world, may have learned the nursery rhyme below. Without knowing what they were singing about.

In the time before mass literacy, these rhymes formed an integral part of the oral history of the people.

Before someone had the bright idea to invent schools, and mass literacy.

Most of the peasantry learned by these oral tradition. This learning took the form of songs, stories and rhymes.

Rhymes are often used in this way, to assist the illiterate to remember the details of the story. The ease of learning a song or rhyme, helps to reinforce the details of the events.

In a world of non-readers, this oral method of passing on knowledge worked well, and still does in some countries, where illiteracy is still common.

The Full Guy Fawkes Rhyme

Remember remember the 5^th of November

gunpowder treason and plot.

I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
should ever be forgot...

The 'Gunpowder Plot' conspirators were

Guy Fawkes, Thomas Bates, Christopher Wright, John Wright,

Thomas Percy, Robert Catesby, Thomas Wintour and Robert Wintour

But what exactly were they up to and why should we remember them?

Guy Fawkes nickname 'Guido' was picked up whilst fighting for the Spanish (catholic) in the 80 years’ war against the Dutch Republic (protestant).

He wasn’t in the war for the whole time obviously, Dooh!

The Protestant King James 1st of England was not to keen on Catholics. You know what’s coming don’t you?

King James 1st had stated that he did not want the Catholic religion, gaining a firmer foothold in England.

Those Catholics that already existed should not be molested.

It was a time of persecution for Catholics. James 1st' comments were interpreted by many, as an invitation to abuse the Catholics.

Guy Fawkes and his buddies decided that they had a right to protect themselves, and plotted to blow up the House of Lords, at Westminster Palace.

An Act of Treason, sound familiar?

Well they got pretty close to achieving their aims.

They had deposited the gunpowder in the basement (or undercroft), of the House of Lords.

When they were about to light the blue touch paper and retire, on the 5th of November 1605 AD.

The plotters were discovered and captured.

Treachery was as common back then as now.

Someone had sent an anonymous note to the authorities, about the treason plotters.

Fawkes was found with the stockpile of gunpowder and was arrested, tortured, found guilty and summarily tried, yes in that order.

I don’t think they water boarded him, but who knows?

Before the authorities had the opportunity to hang him however.

He leapt from the scaffold and broke his own neck, so at least he wasn’t alive for the drawing and quartering.

The drawing part is where they carefully hang you by the neck until you are almost dead.

Then they take you down to recover and maybe hang you some more.

Then they cut open your guts and show you your own intestines.

Finally they chop you into four pieces and send your bits, to the four corners of the kingdom.

The reason for this practice was to send a message to the whole country.

That this is what happens to you, if you plot treason!

A bit like community service today. A deterrent if you like.

So for generations the 5^th of November is still remembered.

Many people today, are unaware of the gruesome acts that inspired this annual celebration.

Hopefully you are better informed now?

England had been going back and forth between Catholicism and Protestantism even since Henry the VIII created Protestantism.

Henry wanted to divorce any wife that failed to produce a male heir to the throne.

The Pope wouldn’t allow divorce so Henry VIII decided to make up his own religion. He set about robbing all the churches too.

Another example of this oral tradition include.

Ring a Ring a Roses

A pocket full of Posies

A tisho A tisho

We all fall down

The above Ring a ring a roses rhyme describes the effects and symptoms of the Black Death or plagues that ravaged Europe from the 14^th to 17^th centuries.

This had a terrible effect on medieval tourism!

The disease first appears as sore and smelly rings (buboes) on the flesh, a pocket full of posies(flowers in a cloth bag) were often carried to hold to the nose to mask the smell.

We all fall down dead. Dead was dropped from later versions of the rhyme.

Nursery rhymes are fun aren’t they?

Fireworks Are Big Business

Combined global sales figures for fireworks are in excess of $350 million a year. The USA’s 4^th of July celebrations account for huge sales annually.

The bulk of these fireworks are manufactured in China and India.

I wonder who our descendants will be burning in effigy in the future? I can guess at a few candidates.

Will we still be burning Guy (Guido) Fawkes to celebrate his failed Gunpowder Treason And Plot Of 1605 or some other modern terrorist?